Fans de Triumph

THE HEDRONS
BALCONYTV.COM 14/06/2007
PRESENTED BY KIERON BLACK
The Hedrons music is decidedly one part Ramones-esque brawn, one part femme-fatale roar, and one part ruthless guitar-driven nerve. Or as lead guitarist Rosie humorously puts it, "If you listen to us, you wouldn't realise it was girls until Tippi starts singing - you'd think it was a bunch of big hairy guys playing." And although the girls would personally describe their sound as the modern love child of the Foo Fighters and Joan Jett, they would also say that the very same is proudly godfathered by Iggy Pop & The Stooges.
In 2005 The Hedrons were formed in their native Glasgow. With a relentless gigging schedule, a UK Top 20 indie single and further back-to-back Top 5 indie singles chart success, the four-piece have established themselves as one of the country's foremost emerging rock bands. This has only been further emphasized by the recent release of the band's debut album 'One More Won't Kill Us' which accomplished further indie chart triumph when it broke the Top 40 of the official UK indie album chart.
In the UK throughout 2006, The Hedrons were the focus of many a press feature and gained plenty of airplay, including from the likes of Radio 1 and XFM. The band was first tipped in the NME who said of them 'an all-girl four-piece who sound like Patti Smith meets Penetration with a dash of early Blondie and a smidging of The Runaways... you have to hear this band!' Off the back of this attention and all their touring, The Hedrons were confirmed to perform at several summer UK summer festivals including Download at Donington, T In The Park and Guilfest. Of particular significance, the band was invited by the band Alice In Chains to step in as special guests at their only UK show at the London Astoria. Overall, The Hedrons satisfied a healthy appetite of over 120 gigs by the end of the year, accomplishing sell-out status at many venues up and down the UK / Ireland and generally causing much fan frenzy wherever they appeared. One of those gigs gained special significance, when in October The Hedrons became the first British band ever to play a live, virtual gig as 3-D figures inside the virtual world 'Second Life' as avatar's of the band performed in the customised venue 'The Hedro Dome' whilst the real band performed in Glasgow!
Release wise, the band's first single 'Be My Friend' was released in July 2006 on Scottish indie label Measured Records and entered the official UK charts as a top 20 Indie Single, selling out of its limited edition vinyl pressing as did the second single 'I Need You' that was released in October and entered the same chart at number 5. A third single 'Heatseeker' was released in January 2007 and achieved identical top 5 indie chart success. The debut album 'One More Won't Kill Us' was released in February and was met with an official Top 40 indie album chart position.
This year was kicked off in typical Hedrons fashion with the band hitting the road in the UK for yet another headline tour. The album has just been released in Japan to frenzied acclaim, and live dates there are currently being lined up. March will see them venture across the Atlantic for the first time as they fly in for a mini-tour across North America, including showcases at both Canadian Music Week and SXSW as well as dates in New York and California.
Although The Hedrons have just started out in their career, they have already made a healthy impact on the music scene. And, according to drummer Soup, one thing's for sure, "For four girls, we make one hell of a noise."

http://www.myspace.com/thehedrons
http://www.thehedrons.com

Tune in again tomorrow!!!

DEXTRA
BALCONYTV.COM 4/07/2007
PRESENTED BY TOM MILLETT
deXtra have no one musical influence. Every band, musician and singer who has ever graced a stage may be added to deXtra's long list of influences, which already include ELO, The Beatles, and the whole "Manchester sound" of the early 90?s, as well as a healthy throwback to classic 80's rock bands such as Depeche Mode and The Cars.
eXtra formed around the summer of 2001 when lead singer Declan Grange along with his brother Peader decided to get the old band back together. They were soon joined by Gary on guitar and by Paul on keyboards. After a change of line up and a few members came and went, deXtra finally drafted in Damien on bass and Jimmy on lead guitar. -

The band got to work straight away, rehearsing and writing new songs. The music was finally coming together. The realisation hit straight away that deXtra had the ability to create raw and gutsy music and to captivate audiences no matter what the age. -

An extensive gigging campaign began, the world needed to hear the music. Following a triumph in the "Exposure" battle of the bands in Nov 02' and a runner up prize the same weekend in Da2 Club and later another runner up prize in the "Axis Battle of the Bands" leading to the new look deXtra recording a demo which caused a mass of public interest. -

In early 2003, deXtra were short-listed from over 500 bands for inclusion on the first IrishUnsigned compilation cd "Scene Unheard" alongside prestigious artists such as Sutras, The Answer, Label and Pharaoh House Crash, having previously been described in an IU review as "probably the most entertaining live band in Ireland". It was due to this cd and IrishUnsigned that deXtra would become a household name. The song chosen (Feelin' Blue) caused some interest in the industry being played on 2fm and described by Dave Fanning as "a bloody good song". -

It was in the aftermath of this that Hotpress magazine reviewed the IrishUnsigned compilation cd launch in Eamonn Dorans, describing deXtra's music as "scally-rock of the highest order" and looking favourably on the band as the "next big thing", before going on to describe them as looking like "a full monty-esque bunch of guys plucked from the streets of Temple Bar an hour before the gig". This article gained the band a considerable underground status as one of the best live acts around. -

After many appearances at local Dublin hotspots such as Eamonn Dorans, The Isaac Butt, The Temple Bar Music Centre, The Sugar Club, Whelans and a successful gig alongside Aslan in The Village, deXtra went to record their first single with top producer Liam Mulvanny. -

"Angel From Heaven" was released in march 04'. After shifting enough copies in its first week to reach number 5 but was nowhere to be seen in the official Irish charts, Seamus Kelly and The Ballymun Concrete news broke the story which was later taken up by the News of the World, The Star, The Mirror and The Irish Sun. "Angel From Heaven" was then taken as a discussion point on 98fm and The Adrienne Kennedy show on fm104. -

deXtra are currently busy working on new songs to preview at the glasgowbury festival while working on their first album to be released early next year in between doing some successful acoustic gigs in the likes of The Sugar Club, The Boom Boom Room and Radio Stations such As Near 101.6 fm, Phoenix fm, Spin fm and regular spots in and around Waterford's Beat fm.

http://www.myspace.com/dextramusic
http://www.dextramusic.com

Tune in again tomorrow!!!

'The Avengers' Captain America vs Thor - Fanboy Faceoff
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Hey Fanboys, I'm Tatiana Carrier and this is Fanboy Faceoff, the show that pits your favorite comic book, sci-fi, fantasy and horror characters in a battle to the death...okay not to the death, but in a battle to be the ultimate Fanboy Superstar. Each week we'll pick two characters to faceoff and the ultimate winner will be chosen by you, our experts.

This week, we have a big showdown between two of Marvel's most popular characters - Captain America and Thor. It was only a mere second of footage, but one of the most memorable and anticipated moments revealed in The Avengers trailer was the promise of a battle between these two powerhouses. We know it will probably only be a minor spat as they will eventually come together as one to battle Loki and his army of Skrulls...Redacted...Or whatever they end up being. Anyway, it got us thinking. Who would come out on top in a battle between these two behemoths? Super soldier vs. god. Hammer vs shield.

This isn't the first time these two heroes have battled it out. Last year, they went head-to-head for summer box office supremacy with the release of their two films. It was a pretty close battle from the start with both films bringing in $65 million for their opening weekends. It was also pretty close for both film's US totals with Thor bringing in $181 million and Captain America managing a respectable $171 million. The figures for the worldwide box office weren't so close, as Thor brought in $446 million to Captain America's $366. It kind of makes sense though. He is Captain AMERICA after all and not Captain World. Another big win for Thor in this category is the fact that a sequel has already been set for November 15th, 2013. Despite rumors that a Captain America sequel is on the way, nothing yet has been confirmed.

So Thor wins the box office round, but what about The Avengers movie? It's been said that the film will be told through Captain America's perspective, so we're anticipating lots of screentime for Steve Rogers. On the other hand, the main villain The Avengers will be facing in this go-round will be Thor's brother, Loki. No doubt Thor will be getting lots of screentime as well in order to see how this sibling rivalry plays out. I think this round is too close to call and we'll have to wait to see how things play out on screen.
So how do we determine a winner? To the stats!

If looks alone were enough, Thor would be the clear winner, but he's also got the whole immortal god thing going for him. He's practically invulnerable, he possess superhuman speed, agility and reflexes and has stamina that allows him to battle for days on end. If he does manage to get wounded, he has the ability to regenerate and fix himself up faster than you can say, "nice ASSgardian!" Of course, one of his greatest assets is the mighty mystical hammer that packs a punch big enough to take down an army of Frost Giants. The hammer also helps to focus Thor's power to command the weather. As far as weaknesses, Thor really doesn't have any. His pride and ego lead him to being banished to Earth as a mortal, but he was able to overcome that in the first film, so we're assuming it won't be much of an issue in The Avengers. We'll just have to wait and see if he can play nice with the other superheroes.

Like Thor, Captain America possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility and endurance. He also has a handy weapon in his indestructible shield that he uses for both defense and offense as a projectile he can hurl at his enemies. Also like Thor, Captain America really has no weaknesses, but unlike Thor, he is human and therefore can be killed. He is however, one of the only humans ever to be able to wield Thor's mighty hammer, so if he actually got his hands on it, a hammer/shield combo could be just what he needs to take down the God of Thunder.

What do you think fanboys? The power is now in your hands. Will it be Thor or Captain America who triumphs in this Faceoff? Leave your comments below or tweet us your pick @ClevverMovies using the hashtag #CMFF. Until next time, I'm Tatiana Carrier signing off. 

The X Factor's One Direction are in New York City!
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One Direction arrives to much fanfare from its fan base as guests of honor at the Big Time Movie premiere in New York City. The X-Factor finalists made a triumphant red carpet return as a five-piece band for the first time since Zayn, 19, arrived back in the States, following the death of a family member.

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Chavez heading to Cuba for radiation therapy
EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will be returning to Cuba to begin radiation treatment for cancer on Sunday, but said he was in good shape and would be back home in a few days.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT, SAYING:

"Tonight, I leave for Havana. I've decided - upon the recommendation of my medical team and also the government's political team - to begin, we're going to begin, radiation therapy treatment to complement the surgery that I had."

He said the therapy will take place over four to five weeks.

Chavez made a triumphant return to Caracas from Havana a week ago after a third operation in less than a year to remove a malignant tumour from his pelvis.

Little is known about how serious his cancer is. His latest departure could worry supporters, and it may fan rumors of a brewing power struggle between his top aides.

Though he insists otherwise, the cancer treatment is expected to leave him weaker during his campaign to win a new term in the October presidential election.

Michaela Cabrera, Reuters.

We Bought a Zoo - Clip - Give Me Some Fork
Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope.

We Bought a Zoo - Clip - Modern Day Adventurers
Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope.

We Bought a Zoo - Clip - Now You're Talking To Them
Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope.

We Bought a Zoo - Trailer
Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope.

We Bought a Zoo - Exclusive Interview With Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Cameron Crowe
Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope.